


Vi Et Animo

by dynamiic



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 00:38:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/680686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dynamiic/pseuds/dynamiic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world run on Chakra, Sasuke always knew he had special powers that no one else had besides the Imperial Soldiers, the Nius Empire's robotic police and military force. Swept away by the insurmountable current of fate, he was just thrown into this crazy mission out of nowhere. Well, at least his thirst for a more exciting life was finally quenched. AU. Rating may go up for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

" _I thought that was a myth," a skeptical voice sounded in the dark silence, "The Devil's Gift, The Ultimate Weapon, The Soluroid or whatever it's called. It's a myth."_

" _It's every bit real, Kisame," his companion said, unfazed by his partner's doubt, "_ _As real as you can imagine."_

" _And how are you sure of that?" Kisame asked. He was still not convinced._

_Itachi gestured to the ancient mechanism behind them, its Holy figure standing tall and eerily in the dimness. Kisame had noticed the thing when he entered but didn't bother to think twice about it until now._

" _We have one of the seven pieces," Itachi said, "The Sloth."_

_Kisame chuckled as he observed the giant statuette glowering over them in interest._

" _Well I'll be damned... I stand corrected; it's not a myth after all," the shark humanoid said. His partner, Itachi, never failed to impress him. The young man, 11 years Kisame's junior, was every bit the Uchiha that ran through his veins._

" _Where are the six others?" Kisame asked._

" _Still hidden."_

" _So that means we've got to find them right?"_

" _Mm."_

" _Have you told Orochimaru about this?"_

" _He was the one who sent me after this one."_

" _Huh, finding the very thing that has the power to end the world and he doesn't tell anyone other than you?"_

_Itachi gave no response._

" _Bastard."_

* * *

He sat there rolling the orange in his hands, discerning every curve, bump and bruise. 45 degree curves, 96 small bumps, 3 bruises. As he continuously repeated the move, he put the tiniest pressure and the orange felt more malleable with every squeeze.

The teacher's droning about Ancient Runes and Latin was a mere buzz in his ears as he put all his concentration on to the fruit in front of him. He stopped the rolling motion after the hundredth roll and let his grip loosen before sending the familiar warm sensation through his palm. Multiple cuts appeared on the orange's skin and slowly grew for every second he channeled his energy.

He watched closely as they inched closer to the north and southern poles of the fruit, like ink bleeding on paper, and stopped the flow right when the citrus skin looked like it was about to collapse.

Sasuke had been doing this ever since he discovered the mysterious energy that was residing inside him. As a younger child, he hadn't bothered to find explanations as to why his toys broke when he got too excited, why he'd cracked another child's arm when he held on to her playing a game, and why certain electronics came to life at his touch. He was too naïve as a child.

His parents were long dead for reasons unknown, so there was no one to notice his abnormality. The teachers were too busy caring for less able children to pay attention and other kids had tended to stay away from him. It wasn't a challenge for Sasuke to hide his talent at all… as if he actually wanted to tell anybody.

Now, seven years after his discovery, he managed to tame and manipulate the energy however he wished and used it every opportunity he saw fit. He'd learned how to keep his phone running even with the battery dead, how to exert more force in his physical training, and also how to peel oranges without moving a muscle. It was a power he came to find multiple uses for.

However, Sasuke knew no one with the same ability other than the Imperial Soldiers, the government's robotic military and police force who powered their own weapons, though that aptitude was not publically known. Sasuke had used his leisure time breaking into the library's unknown forbidden room that held the Old World and New World's arcane information and discovered details of the government that wasn't taught in class.

Imperial Soldiers were bred separately from Nius's citizens and specially selected in that already exclusive group. Rejects were incinerated to protect their body's secrets. They were trained as machines and disposed of when they hit the age of 40. No wonder they don't teach us this stuff, he had thought as he read the transcripts. Everything in that room was kept from the public, hidden deep in the city's library's basement.

Sasuke had also discovered that what made them special was the ability he, himself, had. But that was odd; ordinary Nius citizens weren't specially bred and the last time he checked, they were ordinary human beings that had opposable thumbs as their special ability. He was classified one of them, it said so on his ID, so he didn't understand why he possessed the same power as the Imperial Soldiers.

With that, Sasuke knew he couldn't tell anyone of his ability. If the government chose to keep their information on the Imperial Soldiers top secret and regulations strict, then all he would get from revealing himself is a one-way ticket to being incinerated. And the idea wasn't appealing to him at all.

Sasuke placed the orange on his desk and finally gave his attention to his Ancient Runes and Latin teacher. It annoyed him when he realized that they were still two chapters behind his own pace, feeling unchallenged and bored. This was the whole reason why he'd decided to snoop around the forbidden room in the library- it at least offered interesting information that was actually useful.

"Sasuke," his teacher piped from the front of the room, "Please translate  _vi et animo_."

" _With heart and soul_ ," Sasuke replied without hesitation, "Or,  _with strength and courage._ "

"Good," his teacher smiled and continued on to the next student. Sasuke went back to ignoring the lecture and back to his own thoughts.

He felt too smart for the academy's curriculum; he aced everything they threw at him and even held a spot at the top in physical education. Sasuke was a prodigy, as the teachers put it. He spent his time in class either getting ahead or merely being there for the sake of attendance lest he'd be punished. It almost drove him insane.

"Hey," he felt someone tug on the back of his collar, "Sasuke, are we still going to work on the Runes project after class?"

Sasuke slightly turned his head to look at the pink-haired girl behind him from the corner of his eye.

Sakura was the girl's name and she was the only one who dared to talk to the Uchiha prodigy, let alone approach him. With the guts that she had, they'd grown to be good friends the last few years that silently came to each other's aid when it was needed. They were two loners that had made an alliance to escape the loneliness. No one dared to approach her either, for her temper and intelligence were things to reckon with… especially when both were in play.

But even with their skinny friendship, Sasuke kept his ability to himself. He trusted the girl, yes, but he didn't find it practical, in any way, to tell her. He even kept his adventures in the forbidden room to himself, though he knew Sakura would have indulged in it more than he did.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in reply before turning to face ahead again. Sakura rolled her eyes at his usual lack of response.

"I'll take that as a yes," she grumbled.

"Alright, class," the teacher said as she tapped her tablet to shut off the holograms, "Our time is up for today. Your assignments are posted online so you can access them with your tablets at home. I'll see you all tomorrow."

As students packed up and shut off their electronics, Sasuke was already ready to leave; he hadn't bothered to take any of his things out as usual. Sakura quickly followed him out with a couple of other students.

"Your place or my place?" Sakura asked as they walked down the white halls of the academy with the crowd. It was the end of the day and the students itched to go home before the Imperial Soldiers started their twilight patrol.

"Whichever," he replied bluntly, uninterested in working on the project.

His limited responses annoyed Sakura to no end but she pretended that she didn't mind it- he was her only friend after all.

"Alright, my place then," she said. They walked in silence as the rest of the students laughed and talked on their way out.

They had barely made it out of the black gates of the campus before being stopped by a brown haired man with peculiar black eyes. His sights were transfixed on Sasuke as he stood a few feet in front of them with his hands behind his back.

The two eyed him, not the least bit intimidated but rather suspicious. The man was wearing a black suit that only agents of the government wore, the right bosom gleaming with the eagle crest that distinguished their status.

What did the government want with them?

Sasuke suddenly felt alarmed when the idea that they had caught on to him sneaking around the forbidden room came to mind. Were they here to punish him, take him to the Proto Gates where they banished criminals to Oblivion? Or to the incinerator to burn along with the Imperial Soldier rejects? The government's methods of punishment were an endless, fearsome list.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" the man asked, ignoring Sakura's presence next to the said boy. Sasuke gave a small nod and tightened his grip on his bag.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to retain his usual collected demeanor despite the adrenaline rushing through him. Sakura merely looked back and forth between Sasuke and the man in the black suit.

"On behalf of Lady Tsunade, I come here to give a message. You are summoned to make audience with her," the man said officially, his eyes never leaving Sasuke.

"Lady Tsunade?!" Sakura exclaimed, " _The_ Lady Tsunade? What does she want with Sasuke?"

"The Lady prefers to keep her intentions secret from irrelevant audiences," the man said boringly then gestured to the black hover car that was next to the sidewalk, "Now, Uchiha Sasuke, if you would come with me-"

"No," Sasuke interjected, "I want to know what the Lady wants with me before I agree to anything. Tell me or I'll refuse to go."

The man in the black suit started to look uneasy as his eyes glanced at the people milling about and hurriedly heading home. The twilight patrol was to begin soon; there were already a couple Imperial Soldiers in their armored suits and weapon-ready pacing the streets.

"I cannot disclose anything at the present time," he said quickly, the uneasiness even more visible, "Now, if you please-"

A loud explosion suddenly blew up in their ears, the black gates and dark marble wall behind them flying in pieces. The three and others close to the explosion were thrown a few feet as a high pitched alarm split the air. Sasuke was in a fit of surprise and confusion with the smoke clouding his sight and a loud ringing from the blast deafening his ears.

" _Rebel identified! Rebel identified!"_ he vaguely heard an Imperial Soldier's robotic yell,  _"Yamato, Identified Rebel #026! Yamato, Identified Rebel #026!"_

Sasuke, still disoriented from the explosion, felt hands grab his shoulders and violently dragged him. He squirmed and fought against the hold but another pair of strong hands clamped onto his arms. He heard inaudible yelling from his captors and the roar of the hover car before being thrown into it head first. His head banged against something metal, sending a throbbing pain down to his ankles.

"Sasuke! Wh-where are you?!" he heard Sakura painfully yell from outside the car before the door quickly slid shut.

"Go! Go!" he heard the man in the black suit bellow. The driver forcefully pulled the steering wheel back, making the hover car thrust forward in a jolt.

' _What's… happening?'_ Sasuke thought before slipping into the darkness.

* * *

" _He's coming to. His heart rate accelerated to normal."_

" _Anything fatal?"_

" _Slight concussion, minor cuts and bruises… that's about it. Nothing fatal."_

" _His hearing? They told me that the explosion wasn't a significant distance away."_

" _Fixed."_

" _How slight the concussion?"_

" _Moderately slight."_

The faint voices without faces continued to exchange words while Sasuke's consciousness started to regain itself. He heard the faded beeping of the EKG and the distant rustling of people in the blackness.

" _Where… where am I?"_ Sasuke thought.

He slowly opened his eyes but was only welcomed by a bright blur as they tried to adjust to the blinding light that strongly shined. He tried to move his arms but felt pain shooting through his entire body, stopping his attempt. His head throbbed immensely and he recalled banging it up against the metal in the car.

Wait. That wasn't all a dream?

The voices and the rustling of people suddenly start to grow clear, Sasuke absorbing sound even better than he had before in his life. Every word, every clang of a metal tool slamming onto a metal tray, every step someone took overwhelmed his ears. Crystal clear… maybe too crystal clear.

Sasuke shut his eyes, sat up from the bed and covered his ears with a grunt as if someone had amplified the world's noise by the hundreds.

A hand came and gently touched one of his wrists.

"Hey, take it easy," a woman with short black hair said soothingly, evidently careful of how loud her voice was in contrast to the rustling around her, "I fixed the arrangement of your ear's ossicles. It'll take a few days for your hearing to go back down to normal."

Sasuke cracked open one of his eyes, the noise still making his eardrums throb. The woman was looking at him with a small smile.

"Yamato sure got you in the worst situation," she laughed nervously, "But you're completely fine… a minor concussion but completely fine."

Sasuke observed her before glancing around the setting. He was in what looked like a small hospital clinic, much smaller than the typical ones in the city and a lot less equipped. The walls were white and the light shone so brightly that it made the black attire of the other busy medic personnel glow grey.

He looked down on his own body and saw that he was still in his school uniform, though singed and dirtied. There were wrappings around his head and torso and EKG electrodes were stuck to his arms and chest.

"Where am I?" Sasuke asked aggressively, ignoring what the woman had just said. The woman looked taken aback by his sudden bite but softened her face after a moment. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off.

"Shizune, is he fit to be released? Tsunade wants his presence in the briefing room," an old man whose voice Sasuke recognized from earlier said gruffly.

The woman turned to him and nodded, "Yes, he's fine."

"Alright, come with me boy," the old man said, motioning Sasuke to follow him, "We need to get you into a better change of clothes first."

Shizune pulled the electrodes off his arms and chest before helping him out of the bed. Sasuke was about to retort, saying he could help himself, but right when his bare feet touched the ground he felt the seething pain shoot through him again. He didn't complain as Shizune wrapped her arm around his waist and slung his arm over her neck.

They followed the old man out of the white clinic and into the darker setting of the rest of the place. Its metal halls were lit with just the right amount of light, narrow and the metal ground cold. They came up to a door just a few feet away from the clinic's and Shizune slowly led him in.

The old man walked over to one of the many shelves that held stacks of clothes, armor and shoes and pulled a black shirt, black turtleneck track jacket, and matching black pants from the stacks

"Here, wear these for now," he handed them to Sasuke, "Find a pair of shoes in your size over there at that shelf. Socks are in the bin right below it. I'll wait outside."

And with that, the two medics exited the room and the door slid shut behind them, a pneumatic sound hissing as it did.

Sasuke stood there with the clothes sitting on his hands. He seriously did not what was going on. He was walking off campus with Sakura and the next thing he knew he was standing in a room in tattered clothes at who-knows-where. He remembered being approached by the man in the black suit, the explosion, the Imperial Soldier's robotic chant, being wrestled into the hover car, and blacking out.

Where was he now? And what did they want from him? Who were  _they_?

Sasuke saw no choice but to change into the clothes he was given. He found a pair of black shoes and socks and put them on, almost eager to see what was in store for him but confused all the same. There was nothing to do but follow orders.

The door slid open as he approached it and saw that the old man was waiting for him just like he said. Shizune had apparently gone back to the clinic.

"Come," the old man said, walking down the hall. Sasuke followed him.

"What is this place?" Sasuke asked. Shizune hadn't had a chance to answer his question earlier. The old man glanced at him form the corner of his eye but kept walking in a brisk pace.

"I'll leave that explanation to Tsunade."

It sounded odd for the man to say the Lady Tsuande's name so easily, and without the term of superiority. The woman previously worked for the government but remained a powerful woman in Nius, her influence well known to its citizens.

So Lady Tsunade was the boss here. The man in the black suit, Yamato he was guessing, worked for her. But the Imperial Soldier had called him a Rebel. #026. The Rebels, as far as Sasuke cared to know, were Nius citizens that defected from the empire, believing the government to be too totalitarian and tyrannous. They'd be occasional attacks here and there in Nius cities but their threat didn't look too significant to Sasuke.

He decided to keep his questions to himself and expected them to be answered in the next few minutes since they were heading to the "briefing room" as the old man said. He wasn't one to obnoxiously let his curiosity take over- that was Sakura's job.

Sakura.

She was caught in the explosion with him but he remembered hearing her yell his name in the midst of the chaos. He faintly and inwardly sighed in relief knowing she was still alive even after the outburst. But what bothered him was what came of her after he was taken away in the hover car.

He didn't doubt that the Imperial Soldiers had seen her with him conversing with Yamato. That act alone could have been taken to suspicion, Yamato apparently being a rebel and all. Sasuke tried not to think about Sakura being dragged away by the Imperial Soldiers and being sentenced to punishment as other suspicious characters or Rebel-affiliated people were.

He hoped nothing had happened to her.

"Here we are," the old man said as they reached two thick metal doors. He put his wrinkly hand on the scanner to the left and the doors slid open.

"In you go. They're waiting for you."

Sasuke slowly entered and felt the soft gush of wind behind him as the doors slid shut. The room was enormous and dim, with a large screen at the head of the room, three rows of computers on the adjacent walls, even more rows right below and a large round table smack in the middle. The place looked like it could be doubled as a operations room, seeing that there were enough gadgets, seats and screens to accommodate such a purpose.

"You took long," a strong female voice sounded.

Sasuke tore his observant gaze from the room and looked to the head of the circular table where the voice came from. The woman was blonde, dressed in forest green, and lips crimson. Her aura felt warm but chilling at the same time. So this was the all-famous Lady Tsunade. Sasuke recognized her from the research he'd done during his leisure time.

There were three others at the table sitting far from the woman, a girl with long blonde hair and bangs that covered her right eye, another with purple hair and odd white eyes and a boy with black hair that spiked up from the back of his head. There were six others standing about or leaning against one of the large computers on the side. Sasuke recognized none of them.

"Looks like Yamato did a careless job with recruiting you… you look like you took a hit," Tsunade said with scrutinizing eyes, "Come sit."

Sasuke walked closer to the table but stayed a distance away.

"Recruiting? Where am I and why am I here?" he asked, his smooth voice ringing through the spacious room.

"Yeah, I'd like to know too," the boy leaning against one of the computers said. He had red upside down triangles on his face and an armored dog lying at his feet.

Tsunade chuckled and leaned forward on the table.

"An impatient bunch of kiddies, aren't you?" she said. Her face suddenly turned solemn.

"Every one of you has been recruited for your  _special abilities_  and in accordance to your strength and intelligence, though some more than most."

"How do you know about our… 'special abilities' as you say?" a boy with bowl-cut hair and thick eyebrows asked.

"Our scouts have their ways of detecting nins. They've been watching you since the very first potential sign."

"Nins?" the boy with black glasses and a hood interposed. Tsunade's lips creeped into a small sly smile.

"I know that some of you have noticed that you're different and can do certain things that others can't. You feel a foreign kind of energy residing in your gut and I also know that some of you have learned to utilize it. People with that ability, including Imperial Soldiers, are called nins," the woman said smoothly, "But before we get into all that, let me start from the beginning before you all lose your heads in confusion.

"I am Lady Tsunade, former Executive Contractor for the government, now an honest business woman. Aside from that I am also, as you've probably guessed, a leader of the Rebels-"

"Rebels?!" the girl with two brown buns exclaimed, "What-"

"Keep your question till the end of this briefing," Tsunade interrupted her with a snap, "Yes, I am a leader of the Rebels and you're thinking, why in the world would one of the most influential people of Nius be a Rebel?"

She scanned their faces and saw confusion and apprehension.

"The government is planning something astronomical and has been keeping it form the citizens and even its lower ranks. You've been taught of the Soluroid in your classes, have you not?"

A couple of them nodded.

"The Devil's Gift… said to be left by Devil after his defeat by God," the boy with the spiky ponytail said, "A mythical weapon that was intended to be passed down to finish his job. I've only heard stories."

"Correct," Tsunade nodded, impressed with the boy's clarity, "Though it is not a myth- it's as real as any of us in this room right now.

"As you all know, this earth's civilization is run on energy we call  _chakra_. We power everything and anything we have with the earth's energy force and we harvest it to our use. However, the earth's not the only entity that's able to produce that vitality."

She paused for a moment to let it dawn on them.

"Imperial Soldiers," Sasuke said, "And us."

Some of the others looked back and forth between Tsunade and Sasuke, looking befuddled.

"Oh ho, someone's done his homework," Tsunade laughed, fascinated by the fact that this boy knew of the Imperial Soldier's secret caliber, "Yes, indeed, Imperial Soldiers and you children have the same ability as the earth's.

"Imperial soldiers power their weapons- their  _propulsors_ \- with the chakra they produce in their bodies and it makes them superhuman, if you will. That's the reason why they're so exclusively bred and their regulations kept extensively tight. Only a handful of Nius citizens, including you ten, carry some of the same recessive genes."

"But what does that have anything to do with the Soluroid?" a chubby boy with long, spiky brown hair said with a hint of impatience.

"The Soluroid is giant chakra harvester that's designed to turn into a lethal weapon. It's made of seven pieces, with the namesakes of the Seven Deadly Sins, and they are scattered throughout the planet to hide it from the world until the Devil's spawn could later come find them, as so the myth says," Tsunade continued, her voice cutting the air like a blade.

"When in the wrong hands… well, you can imagine for yourselves of what might happen."

"You want us to find these seven pieces because you believe the government is going to use it for a purpose," the spiky pony-tailed boy said bluntly. Another small smile formed on Tsunade's red lips. The boy was sharp.

"Correct, though our eyes in the government tell me that one of them has already been found."

"But what could be government's purpose for possessing the Suloroid?" the boy with long brown hair and white eyes near Sasuke asked.

"Neji, you're an Imperial reject with Miss Hinata here," Tsunade looked at him straight into his eyes, a small glint shining in the dimness, "I think you two should have an idea."

The boy, Neji, still retained his calculating look on his face as Sasuke and everyone else looked at him. After a few seconds, his face lit up in what could be interpreted as shock mixed with anger.

"Natural selection," he muttered. Spiky Ponytail nodded and the purple haired girl's face paled as white as her eyes.

"What? What does that mean?" the blonde haired girl asked, the confusion evident in her voice.

"Exactly what he said: natural selection, survival of the fittest," Tsunade said, her eyes boring into each and every one of them, "The government plans to eliminate the weak and breed the strong, restart the human race with the most able… however you want to put it.

"Which is why we need to find these pieces before they do and that's going to be your kids' job. Nins are rare if they're not Imperial Soldiers and you ten are already half of the nins we have. We've been silently assessing Nius's citizens in the shadows, gone through mountains of files, and have come to find the ten of you as the strongest.

"Well, there were also other candidates for recruitment but we all know that the young are the liberal and the most likely to rebel," she added, "We will train each of you on how to track the six remaining pieces and in physical combat with your own propulsors. I think that about wraps this briefing up."

Tsunade allowed silence follow to let the words sink in. Some broke out into murmurs and grumbling to each other but the rest just remained silent.

"The mission is simple," she raised her voice to cut the silent chatter, "Find the Soluroid pieces and bring them back to this base so they can be destroyed. Any objections?"

"We have a choice?" Sasuke asked, almost amused by the fact that she was asking their consent with having already explained the entire issue.

"No, not really, I just wanted to see who was stupid enough to refuse," Tsunade grinned. Silence filled the air once again.

"I, Hyuuga Neji, accept," Neji said.

"Yamanaka Ino, accept."

"For justice! Rock Lee, accept!"

"Hmph, troublesome. Nara Shikamaru, accept."

"… Ten Ten, accept."

"I guess I'm in, too. Inuzuka Kiba, accept."

"Aburame Shino, accept."

"Er... Akimichi Chouji, accept."

"H-Hyuuga Hinata, accept."

Sasuke clenched his fists as everyone sounded their agreement. He didn't know what was keeping him from immediately sounding his own too but then realized it was because of how quickly things were escalating for him. He had just gotten out of school and was now in one of the Rebel's bases with the Lady Tsunade just assigning him a mission that carried the safety of the world.

What the hell; he was bored of the academy's mediocre curriculum anyway.

"Uchiha Sasuke, accept."

Tsunade slammed her palm on the table with such force that it shook the ground beneath their feet.

"Alright! It's agreed upon. This is a mission you must not fail, you understand?" All ten nodded.

"The fate of the world is in your hands."

* * *

_I hope you all liked this! It was something that I'd been planning to publish and the first chapter is finally finished. I would really love to hear some feedback about my writing and also the plot itself (from what you know of this chapter). It would be a great help if I got some tips, comments and critiques so please drop one!_

_Also, I'd just like to clarify that this isn't a story revolved around the SasuIno pairing (even though there will be some of that) but this is more focused on Sasuke._

_[EDIT]: This is also up on fanfiction.net and I've already posted up the next two chapters up there if you'd love to read ahead. However, I'll post them on here in the next few days!_

_Thank you for reading! Until next chapter~_


	2. Chapter 2

_"I'm not surprised that they tried to take your brother."_

_Itachi's red eyes only narrowed at the mention of his younger sibling. He said nothing in reply._

_"It's simply amusing, though, how they thought they could fool us with those false cadavers," the slithery voice laughed, "The Rebels are starting to lack."_

_Itachi still didn't offer any bit of conversation, which made his superior tick but he suppressed his bloodlust before impulse took over._

_"Uchiha Itachi, solemn and reserved as always," Orochimaru said, slyly smiling, "But it's such a shame that they've recruited your brother; I was close to doing it myself."_

_"It's better this way," Itachi said, his voice finally sounding in the silence._

_"Oh? In what way?" Orochimaru mused, "Better that he's for the more moral cause? Or better that you have quite the chance in facing him one day?"_

_He waited for Itachi's response half with genuine curiosity and half with banter. He suddenly felt the older Uchiha's burning chakra radiating from him, making Nius's slithery leader laugh._

_"Calm yourself. I'm only joking."_

* * *

 

Sasuke lay in his bed completely awake. It had been exactly seven hours since they'd been organized into sleeping quarters and left alone till the next morning. He found no sleep whatsoever, his mind overflowing with the recent events of the past 24 hours.

He still couldn't get over how fast things were going; it was starting to look completely insane. But what was he feeling too rushed about? He'd spent most of his 17 years being bored with the routine of life, unamused with the unchallenging lessons at the academy, and hopelessly itching for some excitement. Well, he'd gotten what he wished for. He shouldn't be complaining.

As he panned over the series of events, his mind lingered more on the briefing they had the day before. Lady Tsunade had called them nins. Sasuke, and the nine others that were recruited along with him, were special in the way that they possessed the ability to create an energy force the same as the earth's.

Nins.

Sasuke pried every corner of his mind and tried to find even the slightest memory of the word. He should have come across it at least once in the secret transcripts he'd gone through. At least once. But he found nothing in his memories and only remembered the details of Imperial Soldiers- the closest thing to the word nins in his head.

And the other recruits who were in the briefing with him… who were they? He didn't recognize any of them upon his entrance and he remembered Lady Tsunade mentioning that the Neji boy and the Hinata girl were Imperial rejects. They were scouring even the Imperial rejects for help? It boggled Sasuke's mind and sparked his interest.

So the others had the same ability as he did. They all possessed the recessive gene, as they were told. It felt weird knowing there were others the same as him since he'd gone through his whole life not knowing anyone else with the ability aside from the Imperial Soldiers. What were the others capable of doing? Were they as strong and smart as he was? Who exactly were they?

Sasuke adjusted his sleeping position and faced the small room that he shared with Neji and the spikey haired boy- whose name he figured out as Shikamaru. The latter slept above him on the top bunk and Neji slept across from them on a single bed.

The three didn't exchange many words since they'd made acquaintances. The most any of them uttered was Shikamaru asking who was to take which bed. It was fine by Sasuke, he didn't like talkers much anyway and these two seemed the most intelligent of the bunch. The Neji boy had even radiated the strongest chakra out of the other nine and Sasuke took note of keeping a wary eye on the guy.

The room was dark with no windows and the only way to tell the time was from the digital clock sitting at the head of their door.

5:00 am, the clock read.

Sasuke still hadn't fallen asleep and they were to rise at 6.

He shrugged off the fatigue and let his thoughts restlessly run until they had to wake.

"Alright, gather 'round," a fierce looking woman with black hair called.

Her pupil-less brown eyes looked at each and every single nin that slowly gathered in front of her, piercing and wary. Being clad in a tight, black, full body combat suit didn't make her look any less menacing. The spikey, unruly hair was a nice touch too.

As the last of the ten finally joined her little semicircle gathering in the middle of simulation room, she approached one end and slowly paced her way down, looking each straight in the eyes. As she did, no one dared avert their sight from hers and remained still. The aura this woman emitted warned them not to speak without being spoken to and to not make any sudden movements.

This woman was a snake.

She stopped right in front of Sasuke who stood at the very end and her gaze lingered on him longer than it had on the others. He looked right back at her, his height and natural glare matching hers. He felt his chakra churn in apprehension as her eyes narrowed.

"You, Pretty Boy," she said, her voice ringing loudly in the thick silence, "You look like you've already taken some hits." She nodded at the wrappings that were still around Sasuke's head. Shizune had told him earlier to keep them on for another day.

He didn't know if the woman wanted him to respond but she just stood there unmoving, as if waiting. He decided to answer.

"Yamato did a careless job recruiting me," he said, echoing Lady Tsunade's words.

The woman heartily laughed, abruptly changing personalities that caught all of them off guard. She just went from snake to relaxed in a split second. What was with this woman?

"Oh man, finally, that Yamato finally slips up," she said, her laughter dying down, "I've been waiting for that."

Her manner instantaneously changed back into the snake.

"I am Mitarashi Anko, Head Recruit Instructor and a nin just like all of you," she professionally said as she paced in front of them with her hands behind her back, "I usually train normal recruits, but Lady Tsunade's assigned me to specifically train you ten for the time being. I'm assuming you've been briefed on the situation then, yes?"

She halted with her legs in a drill sergeant's stance. They nodded.

"How many of you have been trained in physical combat before?" she asked.

Neji, Hinata, Lee, and Sasuke were the only ones who raised their hands. Neji and Hinata were no surprise, since they were Imperial rejects after all. Sasuke secretly trained himself in his own time out of boredom, programming his personal Android to act as his sparring partner with the combat spheres he'd found in the forbidden room of the library. The physical education at the academy just as mediocre as its academic curriculum. He knew the basics and proved capable.

Anko clicked her tongue seeing the small number of hands but she knew she shouldn't be surprised; eight of these kids were Nius citizens that had no opportunity to openly learn hand-to-hand combat since the government forbade such things. It was their way of extinguishing any potential threat from the people.

"Alright, then this will be a gruesome training period for most of you," Anko said, "And count on being ground to the floor because I'm just about the cruelest woman you'll ever meet."

That didn't surprise any of them at the least. The mere presence of the woman already spoke that to the world.

"Now, moving on," she said, "Our mole in the government says they aren't moving to find the rest of the six for another few months till their Sensor locates the next piece. Lucky for us they've only got one Sensor at the moment and they're not exactly the best at what they do. That lucky break seriously gives us a significant amount of time to get your little asses up, able to track, and fight."

"Sensor?" the blonde girl, Ino, asked. The older woman nodded.

"No one other than nins can detect emitted chakra and no one other than specially trained nins- Sensors- can detect the stagnant chakra the Soluroid pieces harbor," Anko said as a matter of fact,

"Each piece has a unique chakra signature that distinguishes them from each other, which makes them easy to identify but not any easier to find. Which is why we, and government, need specially trained Sensors to do the job."

Sasuke assumed she was high in rank since she seemingly knew a lot about the Rebel's operation. No low rank would know so much. He wondered how many heads she'd ripped off to get to that spot.

"With that said," Anko continued on, "You will be split into three man cells that will be your official operation team. All three will be trained in physical combat and only one will be solely trained as a Sensor.

"Hyuuga Hinata, Rock Lee, and Inuzuka Kiba will be Cell 1, with Hinata as Sensor. Aburame Shino, Ten Ten, and Akimichi Chouji as Cell 2, Shino as Sensor. Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Neji, and Uchiha Sasuke will be Cell 3, Ino as Sensor."

"And me?" Shikamaru asked questioningly. He was left out of the list.

"You, IQ200, will function as the Main Sensor and Tactician that will coordinate all three cells from this base," Anko smirked, "Lady Tsunade couldn't let your brains go to waste."

She reached for the console that was attached to her utility belt and pressed the red button at the center. From the metal ground rose a long wall that carried weaponry on its hinges with a hiss.

"These are your propulsors that we've specifically designed to accommodate each of your strengths from the intel we've gathered from observing you," Anko explained as she gestured to the wall behind her,

"From what you've undoubtedly seen, these are similar to the Imperial Soldiers' weapons because they are, indeed, the same in the way they function. These propulsors only activate when its designated wielder channels their chakra into them and stay stagnant when not."

Sasuke's eyes were riveted on the wall, soaking in the incredible sight of the propulsors in front of them. They, indeed, looked similar to the Imperial Soldiers' weapons in the way they were designed and crafted with their silver and dull chrome frames shining in the light. Each was unique and looked specifically designed for different purposes and harbored colored lines that were just as unique to each other.

They looked grander than the mass produced ones the Imperial Soldiers wielded- though more stylish would be the more appropriate term. There was a staff with a large portal shield beside it, two pairs of heavy looking gauntlets, a pair of equipped nun chucks, a sword with an incredible hilt and other formidable weapons.

Sasuke itched to see which one was his.

"We're going to jump right into using these because frankly, I believe the longer you work with these babies the more you're gonna get out of them," Anko said as she unhooked twin swords at one end of the wall.

She spun them in the air and gripped them tightly as they landed in her hands. She flicked her wrists and a tan light glowed from her blades along with the crystal emblem and lines on her hilts.

"This is my propulsor, which I've personally dubbed as Medusa," Anko said coolly, "My blades only respond to my chakra and mine alone. They're just ordinary swords without it. Now, my chakra signature is colored tan but the color of your glow will be different from mine. However, the way to activate them is the same: you channel your chakra.

"Your propulsors placed on the wall are in the same order that I listed out your teams, with Miss Hinata's down at this end and Uchiha Sasuke's down at the other. Shikamaru, I'll introduce you to yours later but pay just as much attention. Let's say we try them out, yeah?"

Neji, Sasuke and the Rock Lee boy were the first to move to retrieve their weapons and the others gradually followed suit out of hesitance. Sasuke unhooked his designated propuslor from the wall's hinges and admired the straight shape of the blade and intricate design on the sword's hilt. So this one was his. The sword was a lot heavier than he'd expected from eyeing it, but the feeling of the armament in his hold felt invigorating. He liked it.

As everyone familiarized themselves with their weapons Anko moved them to gather around her once again.

"Every propulsor has different means of offense and defense," she construed, "You can channel your chakra and manipulate its shape, reach and intensity, using your propulsors as the medium. Today, we'll just start with the basics: learning how to control how much chakra you channel and how to use it."

"Sounds easy enough," the Kiba boy smirked as he slowly channeled his chakra to the armor sleeves on his arms, making its crystal and lines lightly glow red.

"But I'll warn you about this now," Anko said with the most solemn tone, "Chakra is made up of your stamina, so when it hits zero… you will die. Bless the poor soul that taught as that fact."

Sasuke heard someone behind him gulp.

So that explained why fatigue came faster to him when he used his chakra. That energy was directly related to his physical capacity. Anko's warning suddenly made him hesitant to use his chakra so easily.

Their instructor continued to explain how to activate their propulsors and the importance of being able to control them. Too little chakra and the weapon are just as weak as they are stagnant. Too much chakra and the energy backfires on the wielder right off the bat. Most of them had no trouble in stimulating their propulsors, though it was proven to them that this required all their concentration. They channeled their chakra slowly from fear of the backfire Anko warned them about.

Sasuke and Neji were the first ones able to successfully stimulate their propulsors with ease, though it did take a few tries. It felt odd and comfortable in Sasuke's hands at the same time; it was as if he'd made a spiritual and physical connection with the thing. His crystal and lines glowed indigo, with a lighter glow engulfing the blade.

He glanced over at the others to see their progress as Anko went around and explained propulsor-specific details to each of them. Hinata was having a little trouble pumping enough chakra into her gauntlets, her white color glowing then receding. Kiba was getting close with his and was able to make his color glow brighter than he had the first time. The Ino girl was just as close as Kiba, with her sleek battle rifle glowing light purple.

Lee looked like he was having the worst time since Anko had come over and been with him longer than the others. His nun chucks' green glow merely flickered before disappearing again. The Ten Ten girl only looked about halfway there but Sasuke couldn't blame her; she had to pump chakra into her staff and portal shield at once simultaneously. It was hard enough trying to stimulate one and momentarily revered Anko for being able to activate both of hers so easily. Chouji looked about the same in his progress with his hammer and Shino with his brace and anklets.

"You two got it pretty quickly," Shikamaru commented as he approached Sasuke and Neji from observing the others. He'd taken in every detail Anko explained to each person about their propulsors. Being the Tactician and Head Sensor and all he figured he'd start his job right then and there.

Neji only nodded as his gauntlets glowed grey. His pair was similar to that of his cousin's, though hers was a bit more on the heavier side with lions engraved on the back of her hands. Eagles adorned his.

"It wasn't that difficult," Sasuke said. He powered down his sword to conserve his chakra.

"Heh, we've got a Mr. Bigshot over there," Kiba called over to them his armored sleeves finally fully glowing red, "What happened to you? You still look like a mummy."

Sasuke only grunted in reply.

"Yes!" Ten Ten exclaimed as her propulsors radiated maroon. The others were gradually making their way to success. Ino's light purple, Hinata's white, Chouji's orange, Shino's black, and Lee's still faint green.

"Alright, looks like most of you have the hang of it," Anko said and Lee hung his head in shame for his wasn't completely there yet.

"Don't worry, Bowl Cut, you'll eventually get there. Now, keep your propulsors powered up and watch your consistency… we're gonna have a test run."

The simulation room's dome walls suddenly blacked and from the ground emerged metal and earth debris making some of them topple over from the mini quake. The ceiling transformed into the night sky and the dome's walls suddenly disappeared with wide open space taking its place.

They were all taken by surprised of the abrupt change and gathered their wits fast enough to hear Anko's yell before she disappeared into thin air.

"All you ten against me! Your goal is to land one hit and this test run is over. Work together or not, doesn't matter. Just show me what you've got, tykes!"

Sasuke pumped chakra into his sword out of agitation, thankful that he remembered the right amount to activate it in the midst of disarray. Some of the others were already on the move, explosions and quakes shaking the ground. He peered around the piece of a ship's wing he was hiding behind and saw flickers of Anko's tan glow.

The woman was fast and was dodging the reckless blows of materialized chakra and reach of those who came after her. He could barely track her movements even as she traded blows with Neji and Kiba.

"Whoa! Look out!" he heard someone yelp behind him. He turned and barely dodged a purple blast that had come from the blonde girl's battle rifle a few boulders away.

"Sorry!" she called out. Sasuke ignored her and bounded his way to where Neji, Kiba and Lee were up against Anko, their blows completely futile. The others were a few yards away, calculating desperately for an idea on what to do or just confused.

"Come on! Come at me with the intent to kill or else you won't even get a chance!" Anko taunted them.

The three that were facing her continued to aggressively throw blows without avail. Not a single scratch landed on Anko and it didn't look like she was growing tired any time soon. This was almost ridiculous, putting fresh propulsor wielders against a heavily experienced one. They couldn't hope to land a blow before they all ran out of chakra.

"Get ready!" Anko hollered as she jumped onto the highest piece of debris with her blades fiercely glowing.

Chakra snakes emanated from each of her blades and circled around each other in magnificent twists before accelerating to where they were standing. They bore their fangs and large hisses split the air.

"Look out!" Kiba yelled as he and his armored dog dodged one of the snake's attacks. Neji and Lee were also able to evade but were targeted by more that were streaming out from Anko's swords.

"Watch your chakra!" Anko yelled over the crashes and hisses. She continued to pummel them with raining snakes. This was way too amusing for her, though she had to admit that they learned how to use their propulsors offensively so quickly. It was a lot more fun playing with them than regular recruits.

The others had finally joined in on the fight; Chouji hesitantly swinging his hammer at the chakra snakes' heads, Shino conjuring up swarms of chakra bugs from his bracelets and anklets, Hinata offensively pulsing them away with one swift push of a hand, Ten Ten frantically slamming her portal shield and staff into the snake's jaws, and Ino firing chakra bullets.

Sasuke was just about to jump in with the others when he felt someone grab his shoulder.

"Hold on," Shikamaru said, his eyes transfixed on Anko's figure up on the tall pile of machine debris.

"What is it?" Sasuke questioned, annoyed that someone had stopped him from diving into the fight. His instincts just wanted to throw him in there. A loud explosion sounded on the other side of the boulder they were standing behind.

"Anko," Shikamaru simply said, "She hasn't moved an inch since she started that harem of snakes. That's the weakness of whatever technique she's doing- she can't move."

A light bulb suddenly lit in Sasuke's psyche. This ponytail guy really was observant.

"Attack her from behind," Sasuke thought out loud when he connected the pieces together, "Her blind spot."

Shikamaru nodded and more quakes shook the ground.

"Take her by surprise, though I know that she'll sense you within five second's range," the genius said, "But it doesn't matter because she'll have to halt that snake harem in order to defend herself against you. Right when you distract Anko, I ordered Ino to fire."

Sasuke nodded and smirked before quickly bounding around the pile of debris.

"Hmph, already taking charge," he thought, genuinely impressed by Shikamaru's quick thinking. No wonder they wanted him as the coordinator of their operation.

Sasuke briskly made his way up the pile of debris to where Anko was standing and still controlling the chaos of snakes. It seemed that she hadn't bothered to care if all nine, excluding Shikamaru, were in her web of attacks. Good. Then she wouldn't know for sure if one of them was astray.

He suppressed his chakra as he slowly crept up closer behind their instructor, his heart beating faster by the second. Shikamaru had said that Anko would sense his presence if he got close so he figured that if he toned down his intensity it would make him a lot less detectable. Or so he hoped. Sasuke gripped his hilt tightly and stopped a few yards away from Anko.

"Is that all you've got?" she continued to taunt.

He stared at her back. What was he waiting for? A plan was in effect and the woman was pummeling the others to bits. They needed to land just a single hit and this would be over. Shikamaru had told him to just distract Anko and that Ino would land the blow from afar.

"Tch," Sasuke grunted as he took his stance.

That girl better have good aim.

He lunged at Anko's back with a battle cry, pumping chakra into his propulsor, his heart wildly beating and chakra seething. The woman turned with wide eyes at the sound of his yell and it was evident that she hadn't noticed him creeping up behind her. Anko let go of her jutsu, making the snakes disappear below, and blocked Sasuke's blade with both her own.

Bang!

Sasuke's obsidian eyes stared right into Anko's alarmed brown ones. Had Ino gotten her? They certainly heard the sound of her rifle go off… but Anko didn't fall to the ground, blood wasn't spilt anywhere, and she was still strongly holding her blades against his. Did she miss?

Small pieces of black hair suddenly fell from above and landed on the Anko's blades in front of her face. The bullet had apparently grazed the tip of her spikey black hair on the back of her head.

"What kind of crappy aim was that?!" Kiba's yell came from down below.

"Oh like you'd do any better," they heard Ino yell back, "You were just getting your ass whooped, idiot!"

Anko's eyes suddenly relaxed and a smirk came over her lips. She pushed Sasuke's blade off with her swords and powered them down in a spin. Sasuke kept his blade up and powered, wary of what she might do next. He knew he couldn't trust that girl's aim.

"A hit's a hit," Anko said coolly, "Test run over."

The setting abruptly changed again; the debris dematerialized and the night sky receded towards the middle of the dome ceiling. Anko and Sasuke jumped from the top of the pile of debris before it completely disappeared and landed in front of the others with a thud.

"Are you kidding?" Ten Ten asked, surprised at their 'victory'.

"Did we really win, Anko-sensei?" Lee asked, just as surprised.

"I just grazed your hair," Ino said skeptically. No way they could have won just because of that.

Anko laughed, "Like I said: a hit's a hit. Besides, you wouldn't have stood a chance against me in the long run."

Some of them grumbled in unison about how that was probably true. Ten versus one and they could only cut off a piece of their instructor's hair. They obviously had a long way to go.

"Though I can't say that I'm unimpressed," Anko said, smirking, "You learned how to offensively utilize your propulsors that quickly on the first day of training. It took me about a few days my first time, so congratulations maggots. But with that said, you've got a long, brutal road ahead of you. Keep this up and you'll be just as skilled as I am in few months' time."

"By the way," Anko added, "that sneak-attack-distract approach was pretty clever. Applause to you even though it didn't really do damage at all."

"All Shikamaru," Ino said as she rested her battle rifle over her shoulder. Anko nodded- she already knew.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today," she said as she pressed the red button on her console to summon the wall again, "Put your propulsors back here so they can be repaired. Anyone badly hurt?"

She received several responses of no as they powered down their weapons and hooked them back onto the wall.

"We'll pick up this up tomorrow morning so rest up tonight," Anko said while they all made their way to the simulation room's exit, "Lunch is in half an hour and I recommend that you get to know your teammates starting today. Remember that you'll be spending quite a long time together from now on."

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off to the direction of their room while the others chatted away with each other about how awesome their first experience with their propulsor was or how dumb that test run went. He didn't have the slightest intention to make friends at all; the excitement of their mission was enough for him.

He did, however, find appeal in the fact Neji was in the same cell. Neji looked incredibly able when he traded blows with Anko during the test run, though he didn't land a hit at all. Even with that, his offense was much stronger than the other's. It really just seemed like Neji had he most potential out of the others and Sasuke itched to see how far he'd go against the Imperial reject.

But it confused him. How was someone as strong Neji rejected as an Imperial Soldier? From what Sasuke could tell from all his life, the soldiers were fearsome yes, but he'd never seen them wield their propulsors as easily as Neji had. The curiosity tugged on him but he refrained the urge to find answers. After all, the only people that would know would be Lady Tsunade, Neji and Hinata and Sasuke did not like asking people for favors.

He put his hand on the scanner to open the room's door and walked inside. He was hungry but honestly didn't want the company of the other nine. He was never one for friends or even just human company- Sakura was the only exception. Sasuke just decided he'd go out for food in the base's cafeteria later since they were told they could have the rest of the day to themselves after training.

He laid on his bed and dozed off, staring at the metal ceiling.

* * *

 

"Wow for a couple of newbies they're learning fast," a man with a short beard said as he puffed smoke out of his mouth. Tsunade had just switched the screen off after they made their exit out of the simulation room.

"Right you are, Asuma," Tsunade said, a smile lingering on her lips, "What do you think Kakashi?"

The man sitting across from her at the round table nodded, equally as impressed as everyone in the small crowd who watched the ten from the briefing room.

"They'll grow into strong nins, that's for sure," he said through the black mask that covered the lower half of his face, "Though I think Anko was a little bit too harsh with them on their first day."

"Huh," Asuma grunted at his last comment, "The government's lackies are gonna be twice as nasty with them once they head out there."

"Asuma," Tsunade interjected, "Would you do the honor of teaching them Stage 2 when the time comes?"

The said man looked at his superior in surprise. He hadn't gotten to be in this chakra game since he'd gotten slapped with the role as a pilot. Asuma smiled with a furrowed brow and nodded.

"With pleasure."


End file.
